World

The depths of depravity

Barbarism knows no limits and the brutality of the IS brutalises all of us

Editorial February 08, 2015

Jordanians hold banners shouting slogans during a demonstration on February 6, 2015 in the capital Amman to express their solidarity with the pilot murdered by the Islamic State (IS) group. PHOTO: AFP

A new chapter in the pornography of terror has been written. The burning to death in a metal cage of a Jordanian pilot by the Islamic State (IS) has horrified a world that was almost, but not quite, beginning to become inured to videos of beheadings. The video, as with most of the material that the IS releases online, was slickly produced and included elements of CGI, an indication of just how sophisticated is the IS grasp of the media and its use as a propaganda tool. First Lieutenant Muadh alKasasbeh was captured last December when his aircraft came down in IS-held territory. He was probably murdered on January 3, which reveals the level of calculated cynicism that the IS resorts to as recent negotiations for the release of a Japanese hostage had the Jordanian pilot as a bargaining chip — but he was already long dead by the time those negotiations had begun.

The 22-minute clip is now being shown on a continuous loop in the city of Raqqah, the IS ‘headquarters’, and is being watched by countless people thousands of times around the world every day. King Abdullah of Jordan cut short his visit to the US, which ended with a brief meeting with President Barack Obama; he returned home to a country that has moved beyond shock and into anger and steely determination. Jordan is a member of the international coalition battling the IS and there was speculation that it might withdraw, but this was quickly quashed. It launched an air attack on February 5 on IS targets in Syria and for the first time, inside Iraq. The IS was quick to defend itself via the social media, and once again had outplayed its opponents by the manipulation — nay command — of the narrative. It will not be defeated by air strikes alone, and perhaps the greatest threat to the IS will eventually come from within itself and the lands it now controls as populations rebel against it. Barbarism knows no limits and the brutality of the IS brutalises all of us.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2015.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.

COMMENTS (4)

Rahul | 9 years ago | Reply Sunni Turkey is still supporting ISIS against Kurds and the Shia Basher Al Assad regime. Tells you about the depths of cynicism of these countries.

woody | 9 years ago | Reply Ever notice that these days all the terrorism on the planet seems to be performed in the name of Islam? That alone should be a wake up call that Islam is in desperate need for reform. Enough with the barbarism justified in the name of religion.

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

edgarm | 9 years ago | Reply and of course we forget the brutalization by the forces that destroyed Iraq .

Rasika | 9 years ago | Reply This is called brutalization of people by numbing their sensitivities. Keep showing the video as if it is natural, justified, and perfectly acceptable. And people, even educated intelligent guys, will find ways and means of justifying such acts against humanity.

Replying to X